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Tenacious D
Tenacious D 'are an American comedy rock duo, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994 and consist of Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Since their formation, they have released numerous studio releases, a motion-picture film, a television series, and a miniseries. Biography Jack Black and Kyle Gass initially met in Los Angeles in 1986, both members of The Actors' Gang theater troupe. Black admits due to animosity, he and Gass did not initially see eye-to-eye, as Gass was the main musician for the Actor's Gang and "felt threatened by Black". The Actor's Gang traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1989. They were performing Tim Robbins' and Adam Simon's play ''Carnage. The two befriended during the trip and eventually became best friends. Black states he didn't learn guitar until he was "around twenty-three years old", so would regularly visit Gass' Cochran Avenue studio apartment, in the deal that Gass would teach Black to play guitar in return for food, mainly from fast-food chain Jack in the Box. The two would work at The Actor's Gang together, and would collaborate in productions. Gass and Black wrote their first song after Black had been dumped by a girlfriend, a non-comedic song. The two have since admitted to feeling embarrassed about the song, though occasionally sing it during interviews when telling their story. Their second song came about when Black was listening to the Metallica song "One" and told Gass that it was "the best song in the world". Gass told Black that they couldn't write the best song in the world, but Black put a twist on it and said they could "write a tribute". Gass played an A-minor chord on his guitar at the apartment and the two spent three full days crafting the song, when it was done Gass mentioned "they knew they had something". The song made the duo realize their comedic potential. At their first concert, at Al's Bar in the summer of 1994, the band performed the live debut of "Tribute", their only song at the time, and the duo also gave the audience the chance to vote for their name. Black and Gass gave them the choice between "Pets or Meat", "Balboa's Biblical Theater" and "The Axe Lords Featuring Gorgazon's Mischief" (Gass' personal favorite). "Tenacious D"—a basketball term used by commentators to describe robust defensive positioning in basketball — did not get the majority of votes, however, but according to Black "we forced it through". The venue had become a hotbed for upcoming bands due to the success of Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, so much so that in attendance was David Cross who invited Black and Gass to attend productions of his. Black would later be cast in his sketch comedy television series on HBO Mr. Show in 1995. The band would continue to generate momentum on the Los Angeles music scene, notably performing headline shows at Al's Bar, Pedro's, Largo and The Actors' Gang studio. Maynard James Keenan, lead vocalist of the band Tool, had also met Cross on the Los Angeles scene, and therefore had also become involved in Mr. Show. Keenan would go on to invite Black and Gass to support three Californian Tool concerts in December 1995. Tool was the first large act that Tenacious D were a support act for. Black had previously attended UCLA with director Jason Bloom, therefore, when Bloom was made the director of 1996's Bio-Dome, Black and Gass were invited to perform a short song in the film. The two wrote the song "5 Needs", and this was their first on-screen appearance as Tenacious D. In 1997, Tenacious D had become a popular act on the Los Angeles music scene, and would perform residencies at The Viper Room. Peter Stahl, the vocalist of the band Scream, worked at The Viper Room at the time and became a fan of Black and Gass. Stahl invited friend Dave Grohl to come and visit The Viper Room to see Tenacious D, though Grohl initially didn't want to go. Grohl changed his stance and went to see the band perform a couple of weeks later and thoroughly enjoyed it. This would start a relationship between Grohl, Black and Gass. Tenacious D recorded their songs "Tribute", "Kyle Quit the Band", "Krishna," and "History" and released them in a demo tape called Tenacious Demo, in the late-1990s with Andrew Gross, distributing it to various record companies until HBO offered them a TV show based upon the tape and Black's work on Mr. Show. In 2001, the recording of the first album was officially finished. The two embarked on their first full-scale tour in the Autumn of that year. The music video for "Tribute" was recorded. In 2002, their album was re-released in the United Kingdom and other European countries. In 2003, the band released their first DVD The Complete Master Works consisting of a live concert and the HBO series. In 2003, it was announced that, along with Liam Lynch, the duo had settled on the script for their film and announced it as Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. In 2005, the band started. In 2007, Black wanted this year to be quiet due to him featuring in numerous films up to this point. The duo toured Australia and North America in January and February on the Pick of Destiny Tour and played a San Diego benefit concert in June also. The fall of the year featured a benefit show at a WGA Writers Strike. In 2008, Tenacious D played three shows in the Europe, opening for Metallica in Dublin, and the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the United Kingdom. The duo also released the Complete Master Works 2. In 2018, Tenacious D released their animated film Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto in multiple episodes and later publishing them in whole as a full movie. Labels * Sony - Epic Records (2000-2011) * Helicon Records Israel (2002) * Sony - Columbia Records (2012-present) Management '''Artist Management: * Artist Direct (???? - 2000) * GAS Entertainment (2000 - 2004) * Silva Artist Management (2004 - 2013) * Like Management (2013 - 2017) * Constant Artists (2017 - present) Booking Agent: 'United States and Canada' * Creative Artists Agency (???? - 2008) * William Morris Agency / William Morris Endeavor (2008 to present) 'Rest of the World' * Creative Artists Agency (2006 to present) Awards * 2015 Grammy